Shoetrees and shoe inserts have been used to maintain the shape of footwear for many years. When shoes sit idle without a firm foot substitute in place, they will naturally begin to fall out of shape and often become ruffled and wrinkled. Generally, a shoe insert solves this problem by occupying portions of a shoe to support the structure of the shoe. As such, a shoe insert is important for the long term care of a shoe, as it serves to impede the development of creases in the fabric of the shoe and helps to maintain the shoe's overall shape.
A shortfall of current shoe inserts is that they are incapable of supporting a variety of shoe shapes and sizes. For example, recycled formed paperboard and plastic inserts are rigid and offer no compression that would allow them to form to the individual shapes of different shoes. Pre-formed shoe inserts are custom molded and thus generally only fit the style of shoe with which they were packaged. Wood and spacer bar shoe inserts are capable of achieving varying lengths, however the toe member that engages the front portion of a shoe is fixed and cannot be compressed to accommodate different toe boxes. Additionally, wood and spacer bar shoe inserts are expensive and require mechanical embodiments that are not easily engaged in the shoe. Generally such inserts only accommodate loafer-style shoes and cannot be used with heels, flats, boots or sandals.
A further need exists to maintain the structure and aesthetics for a wide-variety of shoe types during photography. Taking photographs of shoes without a human foot to provide the form requires much manipulation of the shoe by the photographer. As such, the need exists for a shoe insert which will provide a natural appearance to the shoe. Current materials used when photographing footwear, including batting, paper, tissue, or the like, are difficult to properly position and may release dust or fibers that can attach to the outside of the shoe and are difficult to remove. In addition, cotton batting and tissue paper can each add additional bumps or textures to the silhouette of the shoe that can be difficult to manipulate once the shoe is styled. In some cases, smoothing the exterior of the shoe can require the shoe to be completely restyled.
Embodiments of the disclosure described herein for a new and improved shoe insert overcome one or more of these disadvantages.